


The Shape (That Wasn't)

by beekeepercain



Series: In Fewer Words [28]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brothers, Childhood, Danger, Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9698957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beekeepercain/pseuds/beekeepercain
Summary: John chases after a monster, leaving Dean alone in the car with his sleeping brother.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt.

* * *

  
Dean jumps when the shadow crosses the road right outside the car. His fists grow hard and white and he crawls further back in the seat, but John doesn’t look at him: the car’s suddenly coming to a halt, and he’s digging out his gun.

“Daddy -”

“Dean, stay in the car. Make sure Sam doesn’t wake up. I’ll be back in a while.”

Now he’s looking at Dean. Sternly, almost coldly; he’s got the strange look in his eyes that doesn’t belong to Dean’s father.

“Stay in the car. Do you understand?”

Dean nods stiffly.  
“Y-yes,” he promises, heart racing and cold sweat climbing over his skin.

As John opens the door, Dean climbs over the car’s seat and clutches the hem of the blanket around Sam’s small shape. He tugs at it, careful not to wake the boy up, and sneaks under the blanket himself - it’s the closest thing he’s got to safety and comfort right now, and at least Sam’s warmth seems to ground him there. And John’s gone now, only the rattling in the bushes announcing his presence nearby. The worst part is that Dean knows what it was. He knows that the thing that went past them wasn’t natural, and didn’t belong to this world. He knows that whatever it is that John’s chasing can harm him or worse - and it can get to them, if John gets hurt.

Beside him, Sam’s stirring.

“Dean?” he mumbles in a strained baby voice, “What was it?”

“What was what?” Dean snaps, barely glancing at his brother; “Go to sleep, Sam.”

“The shape. That Dad’s after.”

“There wasn’t any shape. Dad went out to pee. He’ll be back in a minute. Sleep, Sam.”

“There _was_  a shape. I saw it. It was big, and it looked like a shadow, and -”

Dean aims an angry look at the kid.  
“There was no shape, Sam! You’re making it up!”

“I’m not!”

“Then it was a nightmare, nothing more. You dreamed it, Sam. There was nothing. Dad’s coming back any minute now, and I don’t need your stupid stories right now, so shut up.”

Sam pouts. He gives a nervous glance towards the darkness outside, packs up a lapful of blanket and scoots closer to Dean. The older brother wraps his arm around his little brother’s warmth and brushes through his baby curls, his teeth clenched with anxiety.

“Just sleep now, alright, Sammy?” he says in an apologetic voice, feeling conflicted between his fear and his need to protect the younger boy - he shouldn’t have snapped at him, but he’s much too scared to think clearly.

It’s not Sam’s fault.

The boy yawns and flashes a small, chubby-cheeked smile towards Dean. He rests his head against Dean’s chest and closes his eyes.

“You should sleep too, Dean.”

“Mmh.”

Fifteen minutes later, John’s back. He climbs into the car and takes a throughout look at both his boys, Sam asleep on top of Dean and Dean small and shivering against the backseat of the car. He reaches a hand over to them and brushes Dean’s cheek gently.

“Nothing to worry about now, Dean. Get some sleep.”

With a sigh of relief, Dean nods, and as the car comes alive around them again, he feels warmth return in his limbs.


End file.
